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My biggest worry is the loss of Starks and protecting Ben's left. Max was a solid player (if not the best, most consistent OLineman of the past 5 years) and will be missed.. It's possible that Ben will need to be in shotgun all season, and hand off to Bell that way. Because I still expect him to be under pressure in less than 3 seconds...that is, unless these young guys step up their game, which is very possible. I give it 50-50 odds

My biggest worry is the loss of Starks and protecting Ben's left. Max was a solid player (if not the best, most consistent OLineman of the past 5 years) and will be missed.. It's possible that Ben will need to be in shotgun all season, and hand off to Bell that way. Because I still expect him to be under pressure in less than 3 seconds...that is, unless these young guys step up their game, which is very possible. I give it 50-50 odds

But the interior of the offensive line should be much better, so even if the Ts screw up, you know what? Roethlisberger can step up in the pocket to avoid the edge pressure and still deliver the ball down the field. This is how Tom Brady has done it for years; he's never had studs at the T positions, but he's had a solid interior to step up in and deliver.

The Steelers went 9-7 and missed the playoffs in 2009. They went to the Super Bowl in 2010.

And as HORRIBLE as the Rats looked during parts of the regular season last year and losing to Charlie Batch, they found their groove in the playoffs and won it all. We have the talent to do the same. Need a little luck to get through the season without key injuries and anything can happen.

I've been reading about the demise of the Steelers for many years every offseason. Believe it or not, I believe the Steelers are actually stronger this season for the following reasons.

1) The biggest reason I'm excited is it's the second year in Haley's system and Ben is no longer sulking. I don't care what any fan says, Haley has proven he is a successful OC, and that will continue in the Burgh. Ben having more say in the O will also produce quality dividends.

2) Le'Veon Bell-I haven't been this excited about a pick in many years. He is an instant upgrade to a stale running game. I believe he is starter by game 1 or 2, and has himself a 1300+ yard season.

3) WRs-While losing Wallace was a big deal, I suspect we won't be missing much when Wheaton gets his PT. In the long run, I believe Wheaton will have fans saying Wallace who?

4) OL-This OL is stacked with young, premium draft pick talent. At minimum if this OL stays healthy it should be a road grader for the running game. Having DD back is huge. I am concerned about Adams or Gibson being able to protect Ben's blindside.

5) Ben being healthy and on board coming off a disappointing season where he is being disrepected by nearly everyone with a keyboard or a pen. If Ben stays healthy I expect a record season.

6) Having a healthy Troy would be great but I doubt he stays healthy based on history. But, Golden excites me...not to mention Thomas. I'm eager to see they young guys get some PT.

7) Harrison was a beast in his prime, but due to health issues has some real rough patches. Jones and Worilds should be able to fill in nicely, and I suspect we see Woodley show up this season.

Heyward and McClendon could be serious upgrades on the DL. I'm really hoping Heyward shows capable of handling starter duties this season.

9) The Steelers always play better when disrespected and minimized. They eat that stuff up for breakfast, feeding off the negativity.

I have the Steelers going 11-5, with another Super Bowl run in the future this season.

I am excited for this season for many of these same reasons. One reason to add: On the Planet, we can start dealing with real Steeler happenings, less speculation and less focus on distractions (hopefully), even as some of the distractions have been entertaining. It's been a long off-season. Now the real stuff starts to happen.

Narcissistic injury is the term used for any threat to a narcissist's outsized ego or self-esteem.

Not sure how you missed the point. You're good at interpreting words to an extreme meaning.

Actually, the OP did predict them to have a Super Bowl run this year. Listening to what some people say on this board and other Steelers forums, there's this chip on the Steelers' shoulder that will magically carry them into Super Bowl contention after a let-down season last year. I'm merely trying to pull some of you back down to earth.

There's a lot of question marks on this team right now, and I can't blame anyone for predicting the Steelers end up being 3rd in the division again. Now, some of those question marks could turn into positives and the Steelers could have a good season, plus the Ravens had a lot of turnover in the offseason, and in the past the Bengals have always crashed and burned when expectations were high. However, just to assume they'll have a better season based on a chip on their shoulder or because their the Steelers and they can't have two bad seasons in a row is indeed presumptuous.

Actually, the OP did predict them to have a Super Bowl run this year. Listening to what some people say on this board and other Steelers forums, there's this chip on the Steelers' shoulder that will magically carry them into Super Bowl contention after a let-down season last year. I'm merely trying to pull some of you back down to earth.

There's a lot of question marks on this team right now, and I can't blame anyone for predicting the Steelers end up being 3rd in the division again. Now, some of those question marks could turn into positives and the Steelers could have a good season, plus the Ravens had a lot of turnover in the offseason, and in the past the Bengals have always crashed and burned when expectations were high. However, just to assume they'll have a better season based on a chip on their shoulder or because their the Steelers and they can't have two bad seasons in a row is indeed presumptuous.

Again prediction and assumption are two different things. I am predicting positively, you are predicting that a SB run is highly unlikely based on their 8-8 season. Guess we can see how it plays out.